Mardil Voronwë
Mardil Voronwë was a noble Man of Gondor from the House of Húrin during the mid-Third Age in Middle-earth and was the following: #Steward to King Eärnil II (TA 2029 - TA 2043); #Steward to King Eärnur (TA 2043 - TA 2050); #First Ruling Steward of Gondor (TA 2050 - TA 2080). Biography Mardil Voronwë was the son of the Vorondil, a great hunter of beasts.The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A: Annals of the Kings and Rulers, I: The Númenórean Kings, (iv): "Gondor and the Heirs of Anárion"The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, Book Five, Chapter I: "Minas Tirith" During his youth, the position of Steward was already a hereditary title. The stewardship had resided with his line since the days of his grandfather Pelendur. Mardil received the title of Steward on the death of his father Vorondil in TA 2029. His Stewardship began during the last part of the reign of King Eärnil II and throughout the reign of Eärnur, Eärnil's son. During Eärnur's reign as king, Mardil was charged with the difficult task of restraining the wrath of Eärnur to fight the Witch-king of Angmar, the chief of the Ringwraiths, who accused Eärnur after the Battle of Fornost of being afraid to fight him. The King of Minas Morgul (one of the titles of the Ringwraith) reminded Eärnur of this and challenged him at the start of his reign TA 2043. Although Eärnur wanted to fight the King of Morgul he was restrained with difficulty by Mardil. However, when the Witch King issued another challenge with great insult seven years later in TA 2050, Eärnur would not be restrained and thus Mardil could not stop him from doing what he wanted to do. He marched to Minas Morgul and was never seen again.The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers, Book Four, Chapter V: "The Window on the West" Eärnur did not marry and thus had no children, so Mardil took it upon himself to rule Gondor. There was no one with a clear and unassailable claim to the throne, so the rule of the Stewards was a way of averting civil war. Because the fate of the King was unknown, Mardil made an oath to rule until "the King returns". This oath would be sworn by all of the Ruling Stewards. Mardil ruled Gondor with a steady hand and earned the nickname Voronwë, which means "the Steadfast" in Quenya. During his rule, the Watchful Peace began when Sauron retreated from Dol Guldur in TA 2063 and went back to Mordor. It was soon learned that Eärnur had met certain death at Minas Morgul, and upon Mardil's death in TA 2080 at the age of 120 years old, his son Eradan succeeded him as the second Ruling Steward of Gondor. After Mardil's rule his successors stopped using High-elven names in their official names.The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A: Annals of the Kings and Rulers, I: The Númenórean Kings, (iv): "Gondor and the Heirs of Anárion" Etymology Mardil is a Quenyan word that means 'Friend of the (Royal) House'.The Complete Guide to Middle-earth Translations References de:Mardil it:Mardil Voronwë pl:Mardil Voronwë ru:Мардиль Category:Quenya words Category:Men of Gondor Category:Stewards to the King of Gondor Category:Ruling Stewards of Gondor Category:The Silmarillion Characters Category:Characters in The History of Middle-earth